Hi REPORTS OP DELEGATES. 



NANTUCKET. 



The sixteenth annual cattle show and fair of this society was 

 held at Nantucket, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 27th and 

 28th of September last. I had the pleasure of an appointment as 

 a delegate from this Board, and was received by the officers of that 

 society with great cordiality. For the many attentions I received 

 I am greatly indebted to the hospitality and kindness of Andrew 

 M. Myrick, Esq., its president, and the secretary, Alexander Maey, 

 Jr., Esq. Its citizens are renowned for their hospitality the world 

 over. 



Nantucket bears in some respects a close resemblance to Cape 

 Cod, and is not supposed to have much soil that would enable even 

 an industrious farmer to flourish, and yet many of its agricultural 

 products compare favorably with other parts of Massachusetts. It 

 is admitted, however, that if it has not as good soil to boast of, it 

 is productive of fine men and women. 



The fair on both days was held upon the grounds of the society, 

 and was attended by a large number who manifested an interest in 

 the exhibition of a goodly number of horses, colts, neat cattle, 

 swine and poultry. 



The enclosures for neat cattle were all filled, the thoroughbreds 

 presenting for this section of the State a fine display. Several fine 

 bulls, a few working oxen and steers, and fat cattle were on exhibi- 

 tion. Of grade cows there were sixty-nine entries, and there are 

 but few societies in Massachusetts that could exhibit a better va- 

 riety of good milch cows. One of the farmers, while exhibiting 

 his products of roots, grain, cabbages, etc., said these were all for 

 his cows. Everything he raised was for them, except a few garden 

 vegetables for his table, and feed for his swine and poultry. He 

 sold nothing from his farm but milk and butter, and some poultry 

 and eggs. Others might raise premium crops for market, but he 

 confined his undivided attention to his dairy. He carefully noted 

 the milking qualities of each cow, kept a daily record in a tabular 

 form, of the quantity and weight of milk from each, and thereby he 

 knew whether he had any that did not pay for their keeping. His 

 monthly account of butter was carefully kept and credited to the 

 farm. His dairy yielding 1,500 pounds of butter, from eight or nine 

 milch, cows, which was sold the past year for fifty cents per pound. 

 It may well be added that it is with agriculture as with manu- 

 factures and the mechanic arts, that success is dependent on making 

 a specialty of one branch, one department, in concentrated labor. 



